Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 7 1889.djvu/115

Rh all the special appliances with which they healed any complaint or disorder they used eggs and millet, without which no sort of ceremony could be performed in her honour. The Mordvins in the government of Samara still cure disorders with eggs, millet-groats, branches of birch or bath-switches.

Before her summer festival the parindyaits and yanbeds collected malt, corn, honey, &c., as has already been described; but this time girls, not the women, bared their shoulders and breasts, and gave the supplies to the collectors. Holding both ends of the straps in one hand, the girl concealed her breast with the other, as a sign of her maidenhood. On the eve of the festival the girls decked the room and the courtyard with green, especially with birch branches, and planted small birch trees in front of the houses, in the same way as the Russians do on Trinity Sunday. They tied wreaths of flowers and twigs for their heads, and suspended them outside the dwelling-room, one for each girl in the house. Wreaths were also hung over their pillows, with the following prayer to Ange Patyai:

"Cham Pas, have mercy upon us. Ange Patyai, dear mother, help thy daughter Masyakai (the girl's name) to live modestly, and give her soon a good bridegroom." Having hung the wreath up, they add:

"Svyet Nishki Pas, send me a bridegroom."

On the eve of the festival, or on the eve of the Russian Semìk (the seventh Thursday after Easter), the girls of all the villages assemble and go in procession from house to house, with wreaths on their heads, holding birch branches in their hands, and singing lustily to Ange Patyai for protection and to Nishki Pas to send them husbands. Men are not allowed to take part in this procession. If any reckless youth ventures to intrude upon their company they cuff and tickle him till he promises to buy them about a dozen fresh eggs. Only a player on the pulàman could accompany the girls if they chose to invite him.

The girls choose a leader called pryavt tevtyar; she walks at the head of the procession, preceded by little girls carrying a small birch tree, kyölu, decked with the karkschamaks (girdle) of the leader, as well as